XV Meeting of the Working Group

Biocontrol products: from lab testing to product development

XV Meeting of the Working Group

“Biological and integrated control of plant pathogens”

Biocontrol products: from lab testing to product development

23-26 April 2018 LLEIDA

Welcome Note

Dear Colleagues,

Following the last IOBC-WPRS meeting of the Working Group “Biological and integrated control of plant pathogens” in Berlin in September 2016, we will organize a meeting in Lleida (Catalonia). The Institute of Agriculture and Food Research and Technology(IRTA), a research institute from Catalan government, will be the local organizer together with the University of Lleida. The workshop will be held at the “Centre de Cultures i Cooperació transfronterera” Auditorium of the University of Lleida that is equipped with all necessary facilities. The meeting venue is located in the new campus of the University of Lleida near the river and at walking distance to the city centre and to most hotels.

Lleida is a middle size city, very well connected to Barcelona airport and located in a privileged setting, at an hour distance to the Pyrenees and Mediterranean coast. Is the centre of a fertile agricultural area and it is considered the most important fruit producer area of Catalonia.

The theme of the workshop will be: “Biocontrol products: From lab testing to product development”. All contributions relating to biocontrol of plant diseases are welcome, but priority to oral presentations will be given to research on the main necessary aspects to bring biological products from the lab to the field. This meeting will provide an important opportunity to present your last works on this theme, to share ideas and to discuss common issues.

We wish to bring together students, experts, researchers and implementers of biological control and IPM to discuss potential improvements of biocontrol and integrated control. We expect approximately 150-200 participants from many countries to participate in this meeting.

The meeting will be accompanied by a specialized industrial exhibition. Interested companies are invited to request information on the exhibition modalities from the conference Organization ‘Fundació Universitat de Lleida’ (http://www.fundacio.udl.cat/).

Please post this circular and pass it to colleagues that may be interested in attending the workshop.

Jürgen Köhl

Marc Bardin

Topics and Call for Contributions

A review panel will evaluate the contributions according to scientific content and suitability for the conference. A limited number of contributions will be accepted for oral presentations.

We will address the following main topics:

I. New sources and methodologies to isolate and evaluate potential biocontrol agents.II. Mass production and formulation methods.III. Effects of microbial factors on biocontrol product efficacy at field scale.IV. Evaluation of risk assessment and impact on microbial community in the rhizosphere and on the plant.V. Biocontrol and integrated disease management in different environments: successes and problems encountered. Combination with other strategies.VI. Elucidate the mode of action of biocontrol agents.VII. Interaction host-pathogen-biocontrol products.VIII. Commercial use of microbial for management of diseases. Industry and government perspective and needs.IX. Molecular tools to study microbial populations in different environments, crops and climate.X. Microbial ecology.XI. Application of natural substances/microbials against diseases in different environments.